Understanding of latitude and longitude, reading maps; Longer project times if monitoring currently tagged animals.

Material Availability

Readily available

Cost

Very Low (under $20)

Safety

No issues

Abstract

Have you ever wondered what life is like for different animals, and where it is that they roam? For example, how large is the area they live in, and why do they go to different locations? While we can set up cameras to watch animals that live on land, it can more challenging to see the lives of animals that live underwater, especially in the vast oceans. In this ocean science project, you will use satellite tracking data to learn about the activity patterns of harbor porpoises. How far do they travel? Can you find patterns in the routes individual animals take? Can you correlate their route with environmental factors such as currents or ocean temperatures? You can do this science project to answer these questions and find out more about the lives of these fascinating marine mammals.

Objective

Determine whether there is a pattern to the movement of harbor porpoises and, if so, find out if the pattern correlates with certain currents, ocean temperatures, or other environmental factors.

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Introduction

Whales, dolphins, and porpoises are all cetaceans (which are marine mammals that belong to the order Cetacea). Many members of this group have been classified as endangered or threatened because of human activities. Harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena), like the one shown in Figure 1, below, are listed as threatened due to gillnet fishing methods in eastern Canada. It is estimated that nearly 1,000 harbor porpoises are killed each year due to the fishing methods used in the Gulf of Maine and Bay of Fundy (NOAA, November 2010). To better understand the harbor porpoises, and develop better conservation methods to help restore harbor porpoise populations, satellite telemetry is used to study the movements of harbor porpoises.

The movements of harbor porpoises are studied by attaching small satellite transmitters to animals. Movement data emitted by the transmitters are downloaded from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather satellites to the ARGOS Global Processing Centre in Landover, Maryland. The data can then be accessed online. Researchers are able to collect more or less continuous information on the distribution and movement of the tagged porpoises.

In this ocean science project, you will use these online data to determine whether there is a pattern to the movement of harbor porpoises and, if so, find out if the pattern correlates with certain environmental factors. What triggers the movements of the harbor porpoises? Are they following food sources? Does the bottom topography or the motion of the currents guide them? Does temperature play a role? Or are they out there simply exploring the ocean? Get ready to check out some data to find out!

Terms and Concepts

Cetaceans and the order Cetacea

Harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena)

Satellite telemetry

Satellite transmitters

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

ARGOS

Bathymetric maps

Bibliography

The WhaleNet website has data from archived satellite tagging projects, tracking maps, and information on how to interpret tagging data:

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Experimental Procedure

The examples below take you through the process of making various tracking measurements for a single harbor porpoise. In order to test a hypothesis about porpoise movements, you will need to repeat the measurements for as many porpoises as possible.

Track Map: you will need to print this map out to use later. It shows the locations of "Gus" where satellite fixes were made.

Data Sheet - Satellite Fixes: this is a data table with the latitude and longitude of each satellite fix on "Gus". You will need to use this information with the Distance Generator.

Open the Distance Generator by clicking on the link at the bottom of the "Gus" page. The Distance Generator page has a form where you can enter latitude and longitude data. The form will calculate the distance between the two points.

From the Satellite Data Sheet, copy and paste the latitude and longitude from the first sighting of "Gus" into the "From" box on the Distance Generator form. (You will need to remove "Lon1 :" from this entry.)

Repeat your steps for the "To" location.

To calculate how far "Gus" has traveled during this study, copy the latitude and longitude from the last entry (23.03.04) and paste this information in the To box. (Again, you will need to remove "Lon1 :" from this entry.)

Click on the "Look it up!" button. You should come up with 632 miles. The problem with this calculation is that it is as the crow flies and any side trips "Gus" takes aren't taken into account. To be more accurate you will need to do the calculations between each sighting and add your results.

Productivity and the Movement of "Gus"

On this page you will need to obtain data about "Gus" in two places: "Gus" Track Map and Productivity Map. Print both of these maps. Note that the redder colors on the Productivity Map indicate areas of higher concentrations of chlorophyll.

Compare the two maps. Do you see any correlations between chlorophyll productivity and the location of "Gus"?

Explore More!

If you like this project, you might enjoy exploring these related careers:

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Variations

Use the map scale to estimate the total distance the harbor porpoise has traveled. What is the average daily distance it has traveled? What has its average daily speed (mph) been?

Do you see points on your tracking map which seem suspicious? Which ones, and how do you explain them?

Why is the harbor porpoise traveling along its current path? What environmental factors might influence the track? To answer this, you will need additional data. For example, you can look at buoy data for wind direction, speed, gust, significant wave height, swell and wind-wave heights and periods, air temperature, water temperature, and sea level pressure. Some buoys also report wave directions. You may also want to look at bathymetric maps to get an idea of the topography looks like below the surface.

Describe the movements of the harbor porpoise. By looking at its movements, can you tell if it is migrating, nesting, or feeding?

Explore More!

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Ask an Expert

The Ask an Expert Forum is intended to be a place where students can go to find answers to science questions that they have been unable to find using other resources. If you have specific questions about your science fair project or science fair, our team of volunteer scientists can help. Our Experts won't do the work for you, but they will make suggestions, offer guidance, and help you troubleshoot.

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